Party affiliation affects how Americans predict Obama, Bush legacies

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Democrats and Republicans split on how history will record U.S. presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, a Gallup poll released Monday indicated.

Republicans said they believe Obama will be judged worst among recent presidents while Bush would be treated favorably, while Democrats say Obama will be ranked favorably against Bush, results indicated.

In the latest poll, Americans on balance expect Bush and Obama to be rated negatively.

Republicans' and Democrats' ratings are most similar for Gerald Ford, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.

Of the 11 presidents since Dwight D. Eisenhower, Democrats and Republicans broadly agree on six, predicting history will judge Kennedy, Eisenhower, Reagan, and Clinton most positively, and Nixon and Ford mostly negatively, Gallup said.

Partisans disagree on whether history will judge the remaining five presidents positively or negatively, Gallup said. Consistent with each president's political affiliation, Republicans said they believe history will judge the George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush positively, and Democrats think Obama, Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson will get favorable reviews.

Results for this Gallup poll are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,036 conducted Nov. 7-10. The margin of error for the total sample is 4 percentage points. The margin of error for the sample of 272 Republicans is 8 percentage points. The margin of error for the sample of 292 Democrats is 7 percentage points.

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